The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1887-03-04
TALMAGES SERMON.
A Telling Discourse on the Swell
ing Of Jordan"
How Those who WIN May Find Means TO
Resist the Flood Tides OF Tempta-
ton and Their Consequence
Early Promises UnfuInlIed.


taking for his text;
II thou hast run with the footmen, and they
have wearied thee, then how canst thou con-
tend with horsesf And n in the land OF peace,
wherein thou trustedst, they wear1ed thee, then
how viii thou do in the swelling OF Jordani-
Jeremiah xii. 5.
Jeremigh had become impatient with
hls troubles. God SAYS TO him:
'iif you can not stand these SMALL trials
and prosecutions, what are you going 20
do when the greater trials and persecu-
tions comet If you have been running a
race with footmen and they have beaten
you, what chance is there that you win
oatrun horsesp
And then the figure Is changed. You
know, In April and May the Jordan over
flows its banks, and the waters rush
violently on, sweeping every thing before
them. And God says to the prophets
IF you are overcome with smaller
trials and veXations, which have assault
cd you. what will you DC when the trials
and annoyauces and prosecutions Of life
come in a fresbGt2"
II in the lara OF peace, wherein thou trust
edst, they Tgearied thee, then how viii thou DO
Ia the Swelling Of Jordanf
now DO WITHOUT CHRISTI
propose, if God will help me, IN a very
practical way to ask-if it is such a diff
cult thing to get along without the reIig-
paratively smooth, what will we do with
out Christ amid the overpowering mis- fort
unes and disasters of life that NAV come
upon ust If troubles, slow as footmen,
surpass US, what will we do when they
take the feet Of horsesl and if now In our
lifetime we are beaten back and sub
merged of sorrows because we have not
the religion of Jesus TO comfort us, what
will we do when we stand in death, and
we feel all around about us 'sthe swell
ing Of JordanEn The fact that you
have come here, my brother, nv
sister. shows that you have some things
you believe in common with myself. You
believe that there is a God. There is not
an Atheist in all this house. I do not be-
heve there ever was a real Atheist in all
the world. Napoleon was on a ships
deck bound for Egypt. 1t was "A bright
starry night, and as he paced the deck,
thinking Of the great affairs Of the state
and OF battle, he heard two men on deck
in conversation about God; one saving
there was God and the other saying
there was none. Napoleon stopped and
looked up at the starry heavens, and then
he turned to these men in conversation,
and said:
"Gentlemen, I heard one Of YOU saw
there is no God; If there is no God, will
you please to tell me VINO made all thatl"
Aye, if you had not been persuaded Of
:
for the shtHing heavens declare the glory
OF God, and the earth shows his handi-
work.
But you believe more than that; you
believe that there was a Jesus; you be-
heve that there was a cross; you believe
that you have an immortal soul; you be-
heve that IL must be regenerated by the
spirit of God, or you can never dwell in
bliss eternal. think that great many
of you viii say that you believe it is inn
portant to have the religion of Jesus
Christ every day Of our life, to smooth our
tempers and purify our minds, and hold
us imperturbable amid all the annoyance
and veXatiOns Of life. You ami I have
seen so many men trampled down by mis-
fortunes because they had no faith in
Jesus, and you say TO yourself:
III they were so easily overcome by the
trials of life, what viii it be when greater
misfortunes come upon them-heart-
breaking calamities, tremendous grlefs9'
ooh, if we have no God to comfort us
when our fortune goes, and we look upon
the grave of our children, and our houses
arc desolate, what will become Of us3
What a sad thing 10 is to see men all un-
helped of God, going out to fight giants of
trouble; no closet Of prayer in which TO
retreat, no promise of mercy to soothe
the soul, no rock OF refuge in which to
hide from the blast Oh, when the swift
ing and painting for the race, and the reins
are thrown upon their ncclSs, and the lath-
cred TANKS at every spring feel the stroke
Of the lash, what can we do on foot with
theme If. having run with the footmen,
they woariod us, how can we contend with
horses}
We have all yielded to temptation. We
have been surprised afterward that so
small an induCemeut could have deceived
us from the right How Insignificant
temptation has sometimes captured
our SOUL Aud, if this is so,
my dear brother, what will 1t be
when we come to stand in the presence Of
temptation that Frustrated David, and a
Moses. and Peter, and some of the
mightest men in all Gods kingdoml Now
we are honest; but suppose we were
placed in some path of life, as many OF
Gods children have been, where all the
forces OF earth and hell combine to capt
0re the soul' Without Jesus we would go
down under it, If already we have been
beaten by Insignificant footmen, we would
be distauced 10000 leagues by the horses.
All, don't like to hear a man say:
81 could not commit such a sin as that
can't understand how a man could be
carried away like that"
You don't know what you could do if
the grace Of God let's you. You know
what John Bunyan said when he saw a
man staggering along the street, thor
ouRlv imbruted in his habits. He sail:
There goes John Bunyan, but for the
grace Of Godr'
can say when see one utterly fallen:
There goes De Witt Talmagc, but for
the grace Of Godi'
If we have been delivered from temDta-
uou it is because the strong arm of the
Lord Almighty has boon about u.s. and
not because we were any better than they.
1t u a great folly to borrow trouble. =
we can meet the misfortunes of to-day wa
will be able to meet the troubles Of to-
morrow; but suppose, now, if through a
lack Of the religion Of Jesus, we are
overthrown by small sorrows, does not
our common sense teach us that we can
not stand up against great oncs2 II we
can not carry a pound, can we carry one
thousand pouudsl If we are discounted
coming into battle with one regiment, a
brigade will cut us to pieces. If we are
unfit to cope with one small trial, won Z
we be overcome by greater onesl II
the footmen are too much for us, won'tthc
odds be more fearful against us when we
contend with horsesl / thank God that
some Of his dear children have been de-
livered. How was il that Paul could say;
''Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor,
vet making many rich; having nothing,
vet possessing all thingsl" And David,
the psalmist soaUs up into the rock of
Gods strength and becomes thoroughly
composed amid all his sorrows, saying
"ffod is our refuge and strength, very
present help in the time Of trouble;
therefore will not we fear, though the
earth be removed, though the mountains
be cast into the midst Of the sea, though
the waters thereof roar and be trouble 1,
though the mountains shake with the
swelling thereof. Selah."
But my text suggests something In adj
vance Of any thing / have said. We must
an Quit this life However sound our